


A Rush of Love

by skyhillian



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-09-03 11:43:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8711335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyhillian/pseuds/skyhillian
Summary: For Faige for the Grumpmas exchange.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fringewrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fringewrites/gifts).



> I also made a playlist of love songs by Rush. https://open.spotify.com/user/1298077180/playlist/138wW2aDDdUtMY7JL0oIiT
> 
> I had so many ideas for this and I had a really hard time figuring out how to get them out. I have a huge list in my head of ways that they show each other love, but if I used all of them this would never ever end.

It's the little things that cement their friendship and just how much they care for each other. It begins from the moment they meet, when in the sushi restaurant they're having lunch at, Dan gives Arin-who has fumbled and dropped his chopsticks-his unused chopsticks with an assurance that it's not a problem. He then flags down a waitress to get himself a new pair. At the end of the meal, Arin bullies Dan into letting him pay.

"Arin, please let me pay half," Dan says, staring forlornly at Arin as he opens his wallet and pulls out his credit card. Arin refuses to let go of the billfold, not even letting Dan see the amount that they owe. As the waitress comes by, Arin hands it to her with a murmured "thank you" before turning back to Dan.

"Dan, I invited you, therefore I should pay." It was unspoken that they both knew Dan also couldn't afford it in any way. He sighs and runs his fingers through his mess of curly hair. It's still hard for him to accept anything that feels like a handout.

"This means a lot, man," Dan finally says, and Arin's face breaks out into a beautiful grin. Dan can't help but smile, too. "I am leaving the tip though."

"Dammit, Daniel, I thought you were saving the tip for me!"

They're still giggling like fucking lunatics when the waitress comes back.

 

\--

 

Dan stares up at the X2 with huge eyes. They're more than halfway through the line by now and Dan is beginning to regret his life decisions. Arin nudges his shoulder with his own and Dan turns to look at him. He looks like a goon (an adorable one but that's beside the point). He's borrowed one of Suzy's headbands and he has his hair pushed back and he's wearing comically large women's sunglasses.

"What were you saying about NSP, man? Ross started spouting shit at the speed of light into my ear and I missed it." Dan leans around Arin and sees Ross bouncing happily around his girlfriend Holly and Barry, who looks like an exasperated parent.

"Oh, it's nothing, man. I was just saying that Bri and I are planning on starting up a Kickstarter to help fund some of our videos and recording costs and shit." It's no secret between all of them that Dan and Brian are struggling to keep NSP out of the red. Granny Sexbang had given him a check for $1,500 and they had used it to make the Sacred Chalice videos, but they hadn't done as well as hoped and they're back to square one again. And, on top of it all, Brian recently took a teaching position at Oxford University, and Danny is happy as hell for him (because Oxford University bro!!) but he's also going to be without the other half of his band for a while. He doesn't hold it against him—he's got a baby in the way and being a college professor at Oxford is a very stable thing, unlike singing about dicks and dancing in spandex.

"How much do you guys need to raise?" Arin asks Dan while they shuffle ever closer to the station of the X2. They're only a couple runs of the ride away from their turn.

"Around three thou, I think?" Dan guesses. It's simultaneously a lot of money and barely any money at all and he honestly hates the position he's currently in.

"I'll just give you that," Arin says, blasé as hell. Dan is pretty sure his stomach just fell out of his butt and his heart has lodged itself in his throat.

"What?" he asks, and he can't find the brainpower right now to be embarrassed by the quaver of his voice.

"I'll just give you that, dude," Arin says again. "It's not a problem."

"Arin," Dan begins, shuffling forward with the line, "I couldn't borrow that much from you."

"Dude, you don't have to borrow it. You can just have it."

Everything freezes for a second, and Dan takes a brief second to absorb the enigma that is Arin Hanson. Hair pulled back by a bright pink headband, huge Audrey Hepburn sunglasses, a pink Sailor Moon tank top, and shorts that he has no business looking that good in. This is the man that has become his best friend and he wouldn't take him any other way.

Dan practically tackles Arin, who is taken off guard and they stumble slightly. "Whoa, there, buddy," Arin says. He realizes after a second that Dan is trembling. "Hey, you okay?"

Dan nods. His hair tickles Arin's skin. "Thank you," he murmurs.

"Of course, man. You're my best friend. It's what friends do."

Dan pulls back far enough to be able to look Arin in the face. He giggles and wipes his eyes. "You're really special, you know that?"

Arin's glad his face is already pinkened from the sun because he's blushing.

"Hey, lover boys!" Ross calls. "We're next so get your asses over here." Holly whacks him lightly with her bag.

Neither of them mention later that before the ride had taken off, Dan has gripped Arin's hand tight in his.

 

\---

 

Dan has his hand in the giant five gallon container Arin bought to put all the Skittles fans sent him in. Arin is picking through his own handful with a frown on his face. Somehow he's managed to get what feels like every fucking grape Skittle in the container.

"Dude, it's illegal to look that unhappy when eating Skittles. What's the deal?" Dan pops a handful into his mouth.

"There are so many purple ones," Arin grumbles as he tosses the purple ones back into the box. Dan gasps through his mouthful of Skittles and chokes a little. Arin whacks him on the back. "Dude, Skittles aren't supposed to go in your lungs."

"Never mind my near death experience," Dan says once he swallows the mouthful of candy, "you're hating on the delish grape Skittle and I, personally, am very offended."

Arin childishly sticks his tongue out at Dan and chucks one of the offending purple skittles at him, cracking up when it lands in his hair and practically gets absorbed.

"Grape flavored anything is gross, dude," Arin explains before popping a green Skittle into his mouth. "That's not what a grape fuckin' tastes like! It's like banana flavoring. It's a fuckin' alien conspiracy or some shit!"

Dan clutches his stomach as he laughs, devolving into squeaks as Arin continues ranting about artificially flavored lies.

A few weeks later, Dan shuffles into Arin's house. He's tired and stressed as fuck. Grumping and having his job at Maker is wearing him down.He's so close to being able to quit Maker and be able to pay for his rent and regular medical bills with the money he's making from NSP and Grumps.

Arin calls to him from the kitchen and tells him that he'll join him in the grump room in a few. Dan grunts an affirmative and makes his way to the spare room turned Grump room and plops onto the couch. It takes him a few minutes to notice the bowl of purple skittles on the coffee table. There's a note on top of them that reads "Enjoy your fake ass flavored Skittles, asshat."

He would deny still having the hastily scribbled note three years later.

 

\---

For Dan, it's the little things that mean the most in terms of showing affection.

When Arin's in Japan for the first time, he brings back a planter that he had seen in the Ghibli museum. He makes a point to take Dan to a place called Cactus Store when they're in LA next because he had nonchalantly mentioned that cacti would look nice in the pot.

In the end they pick three plants that they name Larry, Moe, and Curly.

\--

"Dude, after this board I need to take a few minutes. My thumbs are about to explode," says Dan as he frantically mashes the buttons on the NES controller.

He's halfway through the third level of Gun.Smoke and his thumbs are beginning to seize, causing the muscles throughout the lower half of his hand to cramp. Its fuckin' painful, and when he finally beats the level, he groans in relief and flexes his fingers. "Okay, pause. I need to rest the hand." Arin chuckles at the weariness in Dan's voice--it's got the desperation of a man that carried a hundred pounds up seven flights of stairs more than one of a man who is playing video games.

"You want a little..." Arin wiggles his fingers. "A little doobly-doo?" He's still wiggling his fingers like a weirdo.

"A hand massage?"

"Yeah."

"You'd do that for me?" Arin turns to face him on the couch and he takes his right hand between his own hands. "Thanks, bro." Arin begins massaging the spot underneath Dan's thumb, and he groans quietly. "That's really nice."

"Yeah?" Arin asks with a shy smile on his face. He's held Dan's hand before but not in such a weirdly intimate way. Dan's hand is ridiculously soft and warm underneath his fingertips. "That feel good?"

"Yeah," the other man agrees. A quiet giggle escapes him while he watches Arin. "Might this be the most homosexual thing we've ever done?"

"Dude, I don't fuck around when it comes to hand massages," Arin quips. "I'm the fuckin'... master of disaster."

"It's super nice," Dan says again because he doesn't know what else to say. It feels fuckin' heavenly on the pissed off muscles in his hand. "I'm gonna... I'm gonna say some homosexual stuff."

"Dude, I studied massage therapy before I got into voice acting," Arin tells him.

"Did you really? How come you've never given me a massage before?" His voice trails off near the end once he's realized just what he's asked. He's super happy that Arin is so focused on what he's doing because he won't notice the blush that's creeping up his cheeks. Quickly, he tries to turn it into a joke. "Specifically on my--"

"Cause I don't like to," Arin mumbles. "It's a secret I'm not proud of." He pulls down the length of Dan's gigantoid thumb repeatedly, stimulating the muscles. Dan squeals quietly.

"Ah, you're doing the finger pully thing!" A few seconds pass before something occurs to him. "I wonder if Barry has left all this in."

"Probably," Arin says, "since I didn't hit pause."

"Damn it, Barry!" Arin gives a few more passes over Dan's thumb before relinquishing his hand. "That was super nice. I'm all refreshed now, and it feels like I've rubbed refreshing cucumber juice all over it."

Arin settles back into his previous position and tries to ignore the tingle in his fingertips. "Yo, I could bring that shit. I've never used it. Ten years in the closet."

Dan giggles so hard he snorts. He headbutts Arin's shoulder and unpauses the game. He stays pressed against Arin like that for the rest of the session.

 

\---

 

Arin and Suzy are in Japan, and will be for the next five days or so, and Dan really fucking misses his best friend. He's having a helluva time sleeping, and his alarm clock shines 3:36 AM in blinding blue. By his math (which, admittedly, is probably not correct), it's around four thirty in the afternoon or some shit in Nagoya. Dan turns over his phone and nearly gets blinded by the light. Fuck YouTube and the inability to turn off your phone and still listen to videos. Once he remembers how the fuck his eyes work, he pauses Arin's Zelda Sequelitis and pulls up the messenger app.

_ How's Japan ? _

** Awesome as shit like usual. Why the hell are you awake?? It's like 2 in the morning there **

_ It's half past three, actually. I haven't slept well for the past few days _

** How come ? **

Danny stares at the message. He knows Arin won't make fun of him but it's kind of embarrassing to admit that he misses him so much that it's affecting his ability to sleep. He sighs and bites the bullet.

_ Because I miss you _

The three dots that signify that the other person is typing pop up and Dan chews on his bottom lip nervously.

** I wish you could be here man. You'd be able to sleep and I'd get to show you how fucking awesome Japan is   
** ** Also you could be my snuggleman **

Dan burrows his face into his pillow, embarrassed. During a late night recording session a few weeks ago, Dan had been draped across Arin's lap while he played some game, and in the midst of his sleepiness he had asked Arin if he could be his snuggleman. Arin had laughed and ruffled Dan's hair, which he wasn't usually comfortable with, but since it was  Arin it was okay. He had assured Dan that he was his one and only snuggleman.

_ That would definitely help me sleep. You make a fantastic pillow dude _

** If you're trying to sweet talk me into getting into bed with you, it's working **

Dan snorts loudly. No wonder he misses Arin. It's hard to not miss someone that can make you smile so much your face hurts.

_ Baby you know I don't have to sweet talk you to get you into bed with me _

Fuck, he needs sleep. His brain to mouth filter is failing rapidly.

** You got me there **

** You should try to sleep again man **

_ Yeah. Gotta get my beauty sleep. _

** I'm pretty sure you can't get any more beautiful but be my guest if you wanna try **

Dan makes an embarrassing, undignified squeaky noise and buries his face in his pillow again. Sometimes Arin makes him feel like he's in high school again and he doesn't understand it in the least but he's also not really complaining.

_ Thank you Ar _

** Of course bro. If you miss my sexy self again you can always text me **

_ Will do. Love you . _

** Love you too boo **

Dan pulls up the YouTube app again and presses play on Sequelitis. He's asleep before the video ends.

\---

Over the years, their relationship has slowly shifted, moving like sand in an hourglass. Neither of them even really notice the change until Suzy randomly approaches Dan in the office one day and squeezes his giant hand in both of her small ones.

They're the only ones still in the office aside from Barry and Ross, who are currently recording.

"Suzy?" he asks, concerned. He searches her soft features for any sign of distress, and there are none. If anything, she's reminding him of his mother when she would tell him that it was okay and she wasn't mad after he had fucked up. What did he fuck up?

"I just wanted you to know that it's okay for you to love him, too."

A weird, electric pulse throbs through Dan's body and he can hear the pounding of his blood in his ears. He licks his suddenly dry lips. "W-what?"

"Danny, it's okay," she tells him before kissing his forehead. "You've got my blessing." He cannot be hearing this correctly. Before he can even form words, Suzy has released his hand and unhooked her keys from her belt loop and headed to the door. "Goodnight, Dan."

He sits there until Ross and Barry emerge from the recording room an hour and a half later.

\---

Dan's not one to generally kiss people without asking their permission first, but when Arin sits down on the couch next to him, Dan tugs him close and kisses him hard.

Arin drops his water bottle with a  thunk , and it takes him a few beats to react. Once his body catches up to his brain, he cups Dan's sharp jaw and kisses him back with everything he's got.

The electric surge from yesterday is back in Dan's veins, and it's brilliant. Arin's biceps are warm under his hands and Arin's facial hair tickles and he can smell the sour scent of sweat mixed with old spice and laundry detergent, but it's the comforting smell that is Arin and it makes his head spin.

When they part, they're both breathing heavily.

"What took you so long?"

 

  



End file.
